IYN Spotlight – City Club of Fort Worth

City Club of Fort Worth is arguably one of the most beautiful, traditional wedding venues in the DFW area! We had the pleasure of chatting with Kelly Norvell, Social Catering Manager at the Club, for our IYN Spotlight this week!

Kelly’s job is to make sure that weddings and events run smooth. As the Social Catering Manager, she is at the Club on the day of each wedding helping the flow and organization of the event. Guests and hosts love her, the staff, their food and their beautiful, convenient location in Sundance Square!

Kelly, how did you get your start in this business?

I started helping with wedding set ups in college while working on a minor degree. Later, I started a floral and event design business and ran that for over 27 years. I was a Preferred Vendor here at the Club before I took this position and I fell in love with the entire wedding experience and have always been interested in the big picture and seeing it all come together. I now do about 80 weddings each year and love it!

How do you make each wedding unique for couples?

Potential clients don’t often know what they want because they may not have planned an event like this before. But, they do know what they DON’T want. I ask a lot of questions so that I can give advice on food selections, bar set ups & timing. Hopefully I can throw some ideas out there they haven’t thought of or at least give them logistics answers so that the entire evening makes for a fabulous guest experience. 

Matching the personality of the bride and groom and the overall “look and feel” they are going for is more important than just following what everyone else does. Customized menus (and there are a LOT of options not in our packages) and customized bar choices along with a fabulous vendor team is what make dream weddings come true.

How do you stay calm under pressure?

I taught myself a long time ago to stop, assess the reality of the situation (not just what I think is happening), then ask myself what I can do about the problem right in the moment. Sometimes I just need to listen. Other times, I must run into the kitchen and ask for help, or go find the coordinator.

In my downtime, I exercise and practice prayer and meditation. These practices also help me stay calm under pressure.

What is your favorite feature of City Club?

I love the history here. How the Club started, the unique membership, the staff & our fabulous Wine Room!

The wedding scene has changed drastically in the last few months. What have you been seeing as the new trends at the Club?

Small intimate weddings that have fabulous floral, fabulous head table set ups and incredible food selections! We are also seeing heavy hors d’oeuvres and a more “cocktail party” feel and lots of food and wine pairing! Classic & traditional never goes out of style though.

During these trying times of navigating wedding planning during this pandemic, what advice would you give to couples that are in the midst of planning?

Communicate your concerns with us and don’t just worry about them alone. Be flexible and know that we don’t get information any sooner than you do. We are all working through these details at the same time! All brides should know that I will walk with them through this journey. The only other piece of advice is to…get ready for it…hire a planner! You will never regret spending any money on a fabulous coordinator or planner! If you have to ask whether or not you need one, then you probably need one.  Just call me and I will give you all the reasons why.

How can couples get in contact with you?

Thank you, Kelly!